Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
06CALCUTTA558
2006-12-15 13:27:00
UNCLASSIFIED
Consulate Kolkata
Cable title:
ANOTHER STRIKE HURTS WEST BENGAL
how-toVZCZCXRO6354 PP RUEHBI RUEHCI DE RUEHCI #0558 3491327 ZNR UUUUU ZZH P 151327Z DEC 06 FM AMCONSUL CALCUTTA TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 1309 INFO RUEHNE/AMEMBASSY NEW DELHI PRIORITY 1187 RUEHBI/AMCONSUL MUMBAI 0478 RUEHCG/AMCONSUL CHENNAI 0476 RUCPDOC/DEPT OF COMMERCE WASHINGTON DC RUEHCI/AMCONSUL CALCUTTA 1615
UNCLAS CALCUTTA 000558
SIPDIS
SIPDIS
E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: ECON SOCI EINV ETRD ASEC IN
SUBJECT: ANOTHER STRIKE HURTS WEST BENGAL
REF: CALCUTTA 0454, CALCUTTA 0540
UNCLAS CALCUTTA 000558
SIPDIS
SIPDIS
E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: ECON SOCI EINV ETRD ASEC IN
SUBJECT: ANOTHER STRIKE HURTS WEST BENGAL
REF: CALCUTTA 0454, CALCUTTA 0540
1. (U) Summary: On December 14 the 24-hour all India bandh
(strike) called by the Center for Indian Trade Unions (CITU)
against the economic policies of the Central government brought
the entire state of West Bengal to a grinding halt. Flights and
trains to and from Calcutta were cancelled and shops remained
shuttered. Private firms were almost entirely closed, while
state government offices reported minimal attendance. Reformist
Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharya, who had earlier claimed
that 24-7 industries like the IT sector would not be affected by
the strike, found that many IT employees could not reach their
offices. This was the third strike in December alone, and
arguably the most damaging to the state's efforts to attract
investment. End Summary.
2. (U) Life was paralyzed in West Bengal on December 14 as the
24-hour nationwide strike called by 56 mass organizations led by
CITU, the workers' arm of the Communist Party of India-Marxist
(CPM),turned Kolkata into a virtual ghost-town. CITU loyalists
deflated tires of vehicles they encountered driving on the
streets, and stopped auto rickshaws, taxis, and cars by force
(including those of the media, who normally are permitted to
travel.) Eastern and South Eastern railways trains running from
the two main railway terminals in the city, Sealdah and Howrah,
did not operate. Indian airlines cancelled all of its 22
flights to and from Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose International
airport and private operators did likewise, stranding thousands
of passengers. Almost all shops remained closed throughout the
day. The Writers' Buildings, which house state government
offices, was largely deserted.
3. (U) When asked to comment on the crippling of normal life
in the state despite his claims that his government would follow
a uniform policy of maintaining normalcy during bandhs, a
visibly upset Chief Minister told reporters, "Ask those who
called [the general strike]." Though the CM had promised an
exemption from the strike for the IT sector, it didn't pan out
that way. Transport Minister and CITU vice president Subhas
Chakraborty said some IT companies brought their employees to
the office the previous evening and kept them in there
overnight. When journalists asked Chakraborty why there were no
special transportation provisions made for these IT employees,
he passed the buck, saying that IT companies had not requested
organized transport for their employees. State Chief Secretary
Amit Kiran Deb tried to put a positive face on the bandh, noting
that "No untoward incident has been reported so far except an
occurrence at Arambagh in Hooghly district where police had to
remove CITU activists."
4. (U) Comment: The latest strike deals a harsh blow to
Bhattacharjee's efforts at portraying West Bengal as an investor
friendly state. Clearly some elements within the CPM have the
capacity and the inclination to counter their fellow
party-members' efforts at economic reform. Newspaper headlines
lamented the severe damage bandhs were doing to the economy in
West Bengal. The damage may soon start to take its toll if
businesses begin to reconsider whether West Bengal is worth the
trouble.
JARDINE
SIPDIS
SIPDIS
E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: ECON SOCI EINV ETRD ASEC IN
SUBJECT: ANOTHER STRIKE HURTS WEST BENGAL
REF: CALCUTTA 0454, CALCUTTA 0540
1. (U) Summary: On December 14 the 24-hour all India bandh
(strike) called by the Center for Indian Trade Unions (CITU)
against the economic policies of the Central government brought
the entire state of West Bengal to a grinding halt. Flights and
trains to and from Calcutta were cancelled and shops remained
shuttered. Private firms were almost entirely closed, while
state government offices reported minimal attendance. Reformist
Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharya, who had earlier claimed
that 24-7 industries like the IT sector would not be affected by
the strike, found that many IT employees could not reach their
offices. This was the third strike in December alone, and
arguably the most damaging to the state's efforts to attract
investment. End Summary.
2. (U) Life was paralyzed in West Bengal on December 14 as the
24-hour nationwide strike called by 56 mass organizations led by
CITU, the workers' arm of the Communist Party of India-Marxist
(CPM),turned Kolkata into a virtual ghost-town. CITU loyalists
deflated tires of vehicles they encountered driving on the
streets, and stopped auto rickshaws, taxis, and cars by force
(including those of the media, who normally are permitted to
travel.) Eastern and South Eastern railways trains running from
the two main railway terminals in the city, Sealdah and Howrah,
did not operate. Indian airlines cancelled all of its 22
flights to and from Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose International
airport and private operators did likewise, stranding thousands
of passengers. Almost all shops remained closed throughout the
day. The Writers' Buildings, which house state government
offices, was largely deserted.
3. (U) When asked to comment on the crippling of normal life
in the state despite his claims that his government would follow
a uniform policy of maintaining normalcy during bandhs, a
visibly upset Chief Minister told reporters, "Ask those who
called [the general strike]." Though the CM had promised an
exemption from the strike for the IT sector, it didn't pan out
that way. Transport Minister and CITU vice president Subhas
Chakraborty said some IT companies brought their employees to
the office the previous evening and kept them in there
overnight. When journalists asked Chakraborty why there were no
special transportation provisions made for these IT employees,
he passed the buck, saying that IT companies had not requested
organized transport for their employees. State Chief Secretary
Amit Kiran Deb tried to put a positive face on the bandh, noting
that "No untoward incident has been reported so far except an
occurrence at Arambagh in Hooghly district where police had to
remove CITU activists."
4. (U) Comment: The latest strike deals a harsh blow to
Bhattacharjee's efforts at portraying West Bengal as an investor
friendly state. Clearly some elements within the CPM have the
capacity and the inclination to counter their fellow
party-members' efforts at economic reform. Newspaper headlines
lamented the severe damage bandhs were doing to the economy in
West Bengal. The damage may soon start to take its toll if
businesses begin to reconsider whether West Bengal is worth the
trouble.
JARDINE